necrophile
- noun
- /ˈnɛkrəˌfaɪl/
- Specialized
:
descomponedor
- Certain fungi act as necrophiles, breaking down dead wood and leaves on the forest floor.
Examples
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Vultures are classic examples of necrophiles in the animal kingdom.
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The carrion beetle is a well-known necrophile in many forest ecosystems.
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The necrophile fungus thrives on decaying wood.
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Many necrophiles play an important role in nutrient recycling.
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The carrion beetle is a well-known necrophile in many forest ecosystems.
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Certain fungi act as necrophiles, breaking down dead wood and leaves on the forest floor.
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Vultures are classic examples of necrophiles in the animal kingdom.
Synonyms
19
4.1
An animal that eats dead animals or plants
1
9.9
A living thing, often a fungus, that eats dead plants or animals
A living thing that eats dead plants or animals
An organism like a fungus or worm that breaks down dead plants and animals and returns nutrients to the soil
Surface Forms
Morphology
necrophile = necro + phile
Although the form contains 'necro-' and 'phile', the sense 'organism living on or feeding from dead matter' is a specialized biological usage that is not straightforwardly recoverable from the components.
Etymology
Necrophile comes from Greek parts necro- 'dead' and -phile 'lover', so it means 'lover of the dead'. In biology, the word is used for animals, fungi, or plants that 'love' dead matter and so live on or feed from dead plants and animals.